About Us
- The first bilingual school in Florence -
It was 1996 when Canadian Island was born in Florence.
Canadian Island is the leading School in Tuscany that teaches English to children and young people. Maria and Lucia leave nothing to chance: attentive and highly specialized, they are present in the most varied situations because they personally supervise all activities. Always around you can find them while they teach in the classroom, at the Summer camps helping and supporting the children, at the Day Care for the little ones, or singing and playing with the older children during school trips.
Maria Rocco, an Italo - Canadian was born in Toronto and had always felt too Italian for the Canadians and too Canadian for the local Italians. It was in 1993 that she decided to follow her heart and start afresh in Florence Italy. With a significant academic background from the University of Toronto, Maria has a double degree in pedagogy and languages (French and Italian). She also has extensive experience in the field of ESL teaching (English as a second language).
In Canada the multicultural and multilingual tradition is still strong and French and English have always coexisted. With this is mind Maria was inspired to create the same tradition among the Italian and English allowing her to fulfill her much wanted balance between the two cultures. It is important that the English language is lived rather than studied, Maria likes to use activities that stimulate creativity among the children and young people.
“Live English” is the key feature of the method used at Canadian island being executed through various fun activities as the source of the learning.
Maria is the heart and soul of Canadian Island and wanting to spread her passion even further she created the summer camps that complement the experience she has to offer. Always being called tireless, Maria is empathic with the children, always on the move and wants to make sure each individual is receiving the best personalized experience, catering to their every need.
- Play, learn, grow ... together! -
Our Purpose and Mission
We encourage development through modern pedagogical methods which foster curiosity, creativity, and independence. Our industry-leading inquiry based learning curriculum is provided by our impassioned staff in a variety of welcoming(or diverse) environments.
Canadian Island is a vibrant, safe, and loving community where individuals come to be inspired and learn through art, music, and theater. Our teachers facilitate choices and become partners in learning experiences while they support our students and motivate them to grow into well-rounded individuals.
VALUES
Resilient, creative, and independent students learn best from teachers they love.
Inspiring students begins with offering them a home to express their deep sense of wonder.
Equality, respect, and understanding lead to successful learning for students of any age.
Unparalleled educational experiences begin in a warm and nurturing environment.
People from different walks of life need a community to share skill sets and a language-rich setting to build deep and lasting relationships.
